Contact Information

Academic Background

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego

PhD – University of Waterloo (2009)

MSc – University of Waterloo (2005)

BSc – University of Guelph (2003)

Biography

Research Interests

My research is in the area of biomechanics; specifically musculoskeletal spine health and the development of low back pain. Of particular interest is the intervertebral disc; the soft tissue found between each of the vertebrae. These discs can become injured as a result of trauma, or gradually as a result of overuse, and the way in which they become damaged changes as we age. My main interests lie in understanding disc herniation and disc degeneration. Disc herniation is often referred to as a “slipped disc”, “budging disc” and even “sciatica”. Degeneration, on the other hand, is a natural progressive breakdown of the disc that can occur simply with age. Clinically, these two injuries can result in significant low back pain due to abnormal tissue loading and potential nerve impingement. My research utilizes both a tissue-based (in vitro) approach as well as a human-based (in vivo) approach.

Specific research questions include:

1) How does the spine become injured?

2) What specific things do we do that increase our risk?

3) How can we prevent or rehabilitate these injuries?

Publications

Gregory, DE, Callaghan, JP. Examining the effect of prolonged vibration exposure on the tensile material properties of single layers of the annulus fibrosus. In press, Medical Engineering and Physics.